In Quentin McPhatter’s first city administration job, he oversaw the development of a town park that included a ballfield and the creation of a downtown in a fledgling community that didn’t have a traditional business district. The town of Green Level, North Carolina, near Burlington, became 
incorporated in 1990, and creating the first public park and a downtown were important to establishing the town’s identity. McPhatter chuckles a bit as he thinks about the similarities of those responsibilities to his new ones. “I seem to be attracted to jobs where ballfields are involved,” he says, referring to FUSE. “Now I’m here in Gastonia with another ballfield project and helping to bring people to downtown and revitalizing it.”
McPhatter says he’s excited about coming to Gastonia, in part because of the City’s use of historic renovation to spur economic development. From Loray Mill to Webb Custom Kitchen to City Hall renovations to planned private development around FUSE, McPhatter describes the ways that Gastonia is successfully redefining itself, building on its textile-dominated past to attract an energized and diversified economic base.
“Gastonia has had to adapt to survive,” he says. “When you adapt, you have to look at the other assets you have, as a community, and look for ways to leverage those assets as best you can.” McPhatter says sometimes, a community’s greatest assets can be hidden in plain sight. “For many communities, people can forget about their strengths because they are so used to being around them or they don’t recognize them as being potential opportunities.”
Although new to the City, McPhatter can already rattle off a long list of Gastonia’s strengths and assets, including intact historic buildings, excellent water and wastewater capacity, proximity to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, and being the second-largest satellite city near Charlotte. In particular, he notes Gastonia’s resiliency, which he says helps the community adapt to changes and take advantage of opportunities.
McPhatter began his career as a planning assistant for the City of Raleigh, working his way up to city and county management roles in North Carolina and Georgia. He is an enthusiastic promoter of comprehensive zoning and land-use planning to help shape a vibrant and livable community. He says it starts with residents and elected officials using a “deliberate process” to create a vision of what they want their city to be. “If they want to achieve certain things, let’s say walkable communities or more land set aside for open space or recreation, then you would put them into your development code to help bring about those changes,” he says.
The plans, processes and blueprints are vital parts of McPhatter’s job, but his real passion is for people. “A lot of times, especially in government, people just want to be heard,” he says. “They want to know someone is listening to them.” When earning his master’s degree in public administration at North Carolina Central University, he minored in counseling, and he says it helps him relate with people. “I have the ability to sit with different stakeholders and make them feel comfortable with expressing how they feel,” he says. “It’s about talking with somebody, not at somebody.”
McPhatter grew up in Wagram, North Carolina, east of Rockingham, and earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Wake Forest University. He is married with two daughters. His wife, Michele, is a native of Kannapolis and is an attorney. He calls his daughters his “Special K’s.” Kendell, 12, runs track and won the 800-meter state championship last year. Krista, 8, was named an outstanding performer in the coastal Georgia region as a pianist. The McPhatters have been active in their church in Kingsland, Georgia, and in numerous charitable organizations. The family has a 2-year-old Chihuahua-terrier mix named Crabcakes.
Three mornings a week, McPhatter’s alarm goes off at 4:45 a.m., and he heads to the gym for a 30-minute regimen of elliptical or strength training. He says he finds work-life balance by keeping his focus on work while on the job, but focusing on his family when he’s with them.
To McPhatter, a perfect day would include sunny skies and a light breeze, celebrating the grand opening of a new industry or commercial facility, playing a round of golf and “actually shooting close to par,” watching his daughters at a track meet and piano recital, and enjoying a nice dinner with his wife.
After nearly 20 years in government service, McPhatter says he’s learned that teamwork is required to get anything done. For him, that includes “getting the proper people working with the proper people.” He has also learned that an “amazing” amount of effort goes into even small projects, with people rarely taking notice until the work is nearly done. But for him, that collaboration and behind-the-scenes effort are the most gratifying parts of government service. McPhatter says he is looking forward to collaborating with City of Gastonia employees, City Council and residents to “make great things happen” in the City.
See the City's news release about hiring McPhatter.